The Killer
by ejo
Summary: "I murdered Mikan Sakura and there will be more to come. It's far from over." – The Killer
1. Chapter 1

**The Killer  
><strong>written by ejo

**Summary: **"I murdered Mikan Sakura and there will be more to come. It's far from over." – The Killer

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"Only death will set her free."

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betaread by Tearless Sonnet

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**MIKAN SAKURA;**

I died.

This is how my story begins—I am dead. _Murdered_, to be exact. I died last eighteen hours ago, back when I was supposed to send my love letter to _him_. Ruka Nogi. All the things he had done for me, I will never forget them. I told myself a week ago that I'd do my best to properly express my feelings for him in the form of a letter. I made the letter, but he won't get to read it now.

After all, I'm dead.

I couldn't clearly remember how I died. I was entering the classroom at that time, trying to insert my letter in his bag when I heard a sudden rush of footsteps. When I was about to turn around, I felt something make contact with my head, immediately knocking me unconscious. If I tried to think really hard, I can remember blood flowing endlessly from me.

Now, I'm nothing but a ghost—a memory of the past.

I could see a couple of police cars right outside the school's gate. Students had been advised to avoid the third floor where the crime scene was located. So far, there were no witnesses who had seen the culprit's face. I was starting to get restless. There was no way I'd let my case go unsolved.

I could see white bits of tape plastered on the floor, shaping my body, revealing that its location was where my body used to lie. Caution warnings were wrapped around the front door, making the backdoor the sole entry and exit for people. I could hear the policemen whispering to themselves, discussing their list of suspects.

I used to feel my chest—where my heart _should_ have been—throb. Now, it was nothing but a hollow space.

"Bring in Hotaru Imai," the chief ordered, gesturing one of his men to call forth my friend. How could Hotaru be a suspect? Out of all people, she seemed innocent to me. She had nothing to hold against me, except when I attempted to eat her mango pudding. But I don't think she would actually kill me because of that.

A raven-haired girl came in, her fists curled up into a ball. I could see her eyes all puffy and red—she must have been crying. I wanted to hug her, to comfort her but there was nothing I could do but listen.

"Where were you yesterday at 2:00pm?" the chief asked as he lit up a cigar.

"I was at the library, researching for more ideas for my next inventions," she replied, her voice wavering. The library was a floor below the classroom; I hoped the chief didn't get funny ideas out of it.

The chief narrowed his eyes at her, eyeing her suspiciously. His cap covered most of his brown hair, but you could see stray strands of hair popping out. He was a chubby man with stubble on his chin.

"I heard that you're the victim's best friend, is that correct?" She nodded, her eyes staring farther in the distance. "I also hear that you're bullying her."

She looked at him in disbelief, I did too. "Oh my god," she muttered. "That's what we do. Our r-relationship is like that."

The chief raised one of his brows, peeving Hotaru on the spot. "Relationship, eh?" he muttered as if he had found a piece of golden information. "Speaking of which, did you have any feelings for her? Feelings that, as a friend, you shouldn't have felt?"

I could see her eyes darkening. "W-well, I did. But that _was_ in the past."

It was true. I couldn't deny it. Hotaru _used_ to have feelings for me; she told me herself when we were in fourth grade. It ended bitterly when she saw me making out with one of our upperclassmen, Tsubasa Andou. But that didn't end our friendship, which I was thankful for.

"That could serve as a grudge," he claimed impatiently. Hotaru's expression turned in scepticism and she stared at the officer like a gaping monkey, unsure on whether she should shut his trap or ignore him. The latter choice seemed a better option.

"Sumire Shouda," the chief said finally, gesturing his men to escort Hotaru out. The raven-haired girl shot him one last deadly glare before she disappeared out the door.

Soon, a green-haired girl walked in. I knew her but barely talked to her ever since I found out that in fifth grade she created false rumours about me. Some of them included losing my virginity to Yuu Tobita and my being a total playgirl. She also used evil tactics to gain high grades.

"I didn't kill her!" she barked out immediately.

"We're not accusing you," the chief assured, rubbing his nose fervently.

"Oh," she mouthed, playing with the curls in her hair and looking around the room. The chief gestured her to sit down, but she refused, claiming that this wouldn't take long since she was innocent.

"Where were you 2:00pm yesterday?" he asked, his eyes dripping with curiousity. He put out his cigar and turned to her once more. She bit her lower lip, uncertain on whether she should believe that this guy really was an officer or not.

"I was at the gazebo," she replied, pointing her index finger at the window. One of the officers clarified her claim by making a thumbs-up. "Waiting for _someone_."

"Someone?" the chief repeated, wanting to hear more. "Who?"

"I don't know," she admitted, her eyes cast downwards. It was true that her testimony seemed suspicious but I didn't think she would kill me. After all, we _used_ to be friends.

"You don't know? Why?"

"I received a letter telling me to go to the gazebo at one-thirty," she started. "I waited for thirty minutes, but no one came."

"Then why didn't you notice anybody coming out of the room?" he asked, turning his head to look at her.

"You fool!" she roared. She couldn't suppress the urge to _not_ yell at him. She was still the same Sumire I knew—temperamental as ever. "Of course I couldn't see it. It's three floors above and the room on the farthest aisle!"

"You were jealous of her, correct?" the chief asked, ignoring her statement.

She stood on her spot, silent about the entire matter, fearing that every statement she would tell would have made her the culprit.

He looked puzzled, unsure of what to do next.

She could feel his eyes all over her body. It was as if he didn't believe her. "Come on!" she yelled, catching everyone's attention. "Don't you see it? Someone is framing me! The letter...her...her death! It's not a coincidence."

"There's a possibility that you, yourself, fabricated that letter to turn the suspicion away from you." the chief suggested as he lit up another cigar, irking the girl more.

"Fine!" she snapped, storming out of the room. "Since nobody can bother to believe me, then I won't give a shit about this case!" She slammed the door shut, leaving the officers flabbergasted at her outburst.

Was someone framing Sumire? There were loads of people who would love to see her downfall, so perhaps framing her was not out of the question.

The chief slumped onto his seat and called for the next on the list. "Call in Tsubasa Andou."

In a matter of few seconds, a young man came in with a few officers beside him. His dark, blue eyes searched the room. He never changed a bit, except for his height, though. He was my first kiss and my first love. Back when I was alive, we dated during fourth grade, but we never went to the point where we were in a relationship. He used me to gain experience for him to use on his real girlfriend, Misaki Andou, while I did it for curiosity and experience alone.

"Is it t-true?" he stuttered as he took a seat. "Is she really dead?"

The chief eyed him and then he nodded mournfully.

Tsubasa buried his head in his hands. Shaking sobs were heard in the room. "I never got to apologize to her about how bad I was as a senior student." I felt a strong pang in my chest. I knew what he was referring to. Years ago, rumors spread, saying I had lost my virginity to Tsubasa. He knew about that rumor, but he never defended my name. Now that I think about it, I was teased, insulted and bullied because of that. They called me a slut, even though they didn't know what that meant back then. All they wanted was someone to pick on. Apparently, they chose me.

"Enough of that," the chief chided. "What's done is done."

Tsubasa stopped his sobbing and turned to look at the chief. "Why am I here?" he wiped his runny nose with his sleeves.

"You're here because _you're_ a suspect of the murder of your ex-girlfriend."

Technically, we weren't together so that doesn't make me his ex-girlfriend but people get the wrong idea nowadays.

"I didn't kill her!" he barked.

He didn't seem to deny the fact that I was _not_ his ex-girlfriend.

"You got the wrong dude, man!" he swore. "I'd never kill her! I don't have any reason to do so!"

The chief arched a brow. "Don't lie, boy. I know your deepest secrets—I have my sources. You wanted to have sex with her but she had always refused you. You didn't even deny the rumours! You had always wanted to have your revenge on her."

Tsubasa groaned. "That was a long time ago! I totally got over it."

"Lies won't work on me," the chief warned as he puffed from the cigar.

Tsubasa kicked the table in front of him and left the room with bewildered officers. He never failed to surprise me. After that the chief called for Yuu Tobita who was my class president. He was a young boy who wore circular glasses, had yellowish hair and a gentle expression. I don't know why he was part of the suspect list, but still, I continued to listen to his interrogation.

"Is it true that you hated the victim?"

I laughed. Yuu could never hate me, I never did anything wrong to him. And he was not the type to hold grudges or loathe me—

"Yes." he replied.

—what?

"Oh, how honest of you to admit it. Care to tell me why?"

He cleared his throat. "Honestly," he started. "I never liked her. Ever since day one—the day she arrived at school—I had always hated her. Ever since she came to the class, my burden got heavier and heavier—she made my life miserable. Especially when the rumours of me and her having sex got publicized—which wasn't true—I lost my chance to become a candidate for valedictorian and school president." I knew Yuu was ambitious but I never thought up to this point. Whenever I was around, he always smiled and acted like everything was fine between us.

Now I guess it's true about what they say when you die: when you're a ghost, you'll know things that you didn't back when you were alive.

I felt a strong pang inside my chest. I felt betrayed and unsure about everything. Was I a good friend? Did I annoy people too much? Did my actions pain people? Questions like those entered my mind.

"But," Yuu added. "I wouldn't kill her because of that."

"You seem so defensive."

"I'm not."

The chief coughed. "Anyways, where were you 2:00pm yesterday?"

"I was at the gym. I wanted to work out and shape my body. I wanted to build muscles."

The chief looked at him in disbelief, and so did I. I never thought that Yuu would have interest on things like working out. The chief, I believe, couldn't trust Yuu's words because Yuu looked scrawny and weak. Yuu grunted and showed the chief his building, puny muscles. It was little but you could see bits of underdeveloped muscles.

"That doesn't prove anything at all," the chief spat.

Yuu gave out another grunt and walked away. His figure started to disappear in my vision.

"Teenagers, bah!" the chief grumbled.

In the following events, he called Koko who was accused of murdering me because I had bullied him; he called on Misaki-sempai on the account of helping her boyfriend, Tsubasa; and then Anna and Nonoko as accomplices because they had been jealous of me since second grade.

"Sir, may I take a break?" asked a young officer.

The chief swished his hand away for him to leave and take his break. He checked his list of suspects and scratched his chin. _Only two more_, he mumbled softly. "Bring in Natsume Hyuuga and Ruka Nogi," he ordered.

After a couple of minutes, the officer returned with both boys beside him. It was Natsume who first stepped into the room. His eyes were glued on the spot where my body used to lie with bits of tape plastered onto it. He took a seat and studied the chief's face carefully. He turned to Ruka who was about to take the seat beside him. Ruka looked pale and weak. You would easily notice his shaking legs and hands. His eyes were staring down at the floor, afraid to make an eye contact with the chief.

"What's wrong with him?" the chief asked.

"He's just freaked out with what happened to..." Natsume turned to Ruka. "Mikan."

The chief decided to shrug the topic off. "Hyuuga-kun," he cleared his throat. "Where were you yesterday at around 2:00pm?"

"None of your business, old man."

The chief pounded his fists against the table. "Speak."

Natsume grunted. "I was playing hooky, okay?" He crossed his arms and placed both of his legs on the table before him. The chief look flabbergasted at his actions. He studied the young boy's face. He had a piercing on both of his ears, a devilishly smug look plastered on his face and an expression that would instantly provoke you. He turned to Ruka. He was the exact opposite of the lad beside him. He had an angelic appearance, gave off a kind aura and looked as if he was a model student.

"Nogi-kun," the chief called. The blonde looked up and stared at him. You would see his eyes wavering and both of his arms and legs shaking. "Where were you—"

It felt like a decade since I had last seen him. It felt good to see his face, although I didn't like the manner of the situation. We knew each other but we weren't that close, well, not until Natsume came along. He was the one who introduced me to Ruka and culprit who made me fall harder for his friend. I was actually grateful for his help.

"I was at the Student Council's meeting room," he said.

"Why were you there?"

"She—Mikan—she told me to go there," he replied.

Well, technically, he was right. I _was_ the one who asked him to go there—well, back when I was alive, that is. I didn't want it to be awkward when I went to the classroom and found him there. So I placed a letter in his locker, telling him to go to the meeting room. It was actually on the other side of the building so I had no worry that he might burst inside the classroom.

"Do you know why?" the chief asked.

Ruka shook his head sadly. With that done, the chief did nothing but sigh exasperatedly. So far, he found everyone suspicious—they had the motive to kill me and their alibis were shaky. He rose from his spot and dusted his pants. He turned to the boys and gave a low nod. "You may leave now," he said. "We will do further investigation."

Natsume pulled Ruka from his seat and both of them went out of the room.

"Sir, this might be the work of an outsider," one of his men suggested.

"Might be."

I went out of the room and followed the two boys. I noticed Ruka's teary eyes as he walked wobbly down the hallway.

"Pull yourself together, man," Natsume muttered.

"She... She's dead." Ruka stuttered.

"I know."

"It hurts."

"I know."

Ruka stopped in his tracks, taking Natsume by surprise. "Natsume," he called, firmly emphasizing his name. "Promise me that you'll help me find the culprit." Natsume looked at him carefully before nodding approvingly.

As they entered a room, they found themselves surrounded by the people who had been called by the police officers. Hotaru looked downcast as she saw the two boys entering. It was good to be surrounded by them, it made me feel like I was still alive in a way.

"G-Guys," Misaki called, her voice shaking. Everyone turned to her. She was holding a small piece of paper. "I found this on my way here." She shoved the letter to Hotaru whose eyes widened as she took in what was written on that piece of paper. She passed it around for the others to see. Apparently, everyone had the same reaction as Hotaru.

"What's that?" Natsume asked.

Yuu passed him the paper. I went closer and took a peek. I felt completely helpless as I read that letter to myself. It was written in red ink and the handwriting was fairly small. It was outrageous. This person was... crazy!

I murdered Mikan Sakura and there will be more to come. It's far from over. – The Killer

Hotaru snatched the paper and crumpled it. Her expression went stern and cold. "I may not know who you are," she said. "But I do know one thing: you're here right now, aren't you?"

"Imai-san, what are you talking a-about?" Yuu asked worriedly.

"The killer... That person is here, right underneath our noses."

"How do you know?" Sumire asked.

"He or she wanted to scare us with this." She held out that piece of crumpled paper and threw it in the trash bin. "I'll find you, and once I do, I'll make sure that even the angels won't take pity on you. I'll avenge my friend's death even if that's the last thing I do."

**End of Chapter**

**A/N: **Is it okay? LOL. Do review! I want to know your thoughts about this story. 8D Thank you so much for Isa who proofread this (and holy hell she finished it within the day. O.O;).


	2. Chapter 2

**The Killer  
><strong>written by ejo

**Summary:**"I murdered Mikan Sakura and there will be more to come. It's far from over." – The Killer

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"Only death will set her free."

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**HOTARU IMAI;**

"He or she wanted to scare us with this." I held out that piece of crumpled paper and threw it in the trash bin. I wanted them to see that I was not afraid. "I'll find you, and once I do, I'll make sure that even the angels won't take pity on you. I'll avenge my friend's death even if that's the last thing I do."

Nogi placed his hand on my shoulder, to show support. He had a determined look etched on his face as he stared at me. "I'll help you, Imai."

I nodded approvingly.

Hyuuga stepped forward, making everyone glance at him. "I'll help too." I felt my lips drawing a smirk. Of course, he would help. He should be.

"Anyone else?"

Among the crowd, Tobita stepped out. He had an obvious look of displeasure like he was forced to comply. Everyone watched him and studied his actions. "I'll help as well," he said.

"I can't." Harada-sempai blurted as she stormed out of the room. Andou followed her afterwards, I bet he saw her tears popping out. I don't want to force them in trying to help me, we all had our reasons for liking and hating the girl—forcing wouldn't help out at all.

"I'll pass," Anna said as she gave out a bleak smile. So did Nonoko.

A few others backed out as well and all was left was I, Hyuuga, Nogi, Shouda and Tobita. All of us stood in the room, our eyes clashing and unknowing of our next move. I looked down at my feet, wondering whether this was a good idea or not.

"Hey," Hyuuga called. He had a serious expression etched on his face. On his left was Nogi who was busy flicking his fingers in search for comfort. "First things first: we need to know each other's opinion on who we think the killer is." He turned to Tobita. "You?"

Tobita cupped his chin. "I believe it's… nah, never mind, it's just a guess."

"Who?"

He turned to me, his brown eyes fixated on my purple ones. "Imai-san." I unintentionally scowled at his comment. How dare his accused me! I should have known that Tobita will bring us all down.

I quirked a brow. "You're delusional, Tobita-san." I didn't know whether he was making a face or his expression was really like that. He fixed his glasses by pushing it up to his nose's bridge.

Shouda looked bored. She continued to scowl in my presence as if she hated being in here. Among all of us, I suspect if there would be anyone who would kill Mikan, it would be most likely her. Mikan never exactly told me the reason why Shouda hated her, but I knew she caused Mikan some problems in the past. Something about Tobita.

Time to connect the pieces. Starting with. . . Nogi.

"Nogi-kun, don't you think it's suspicious?"

Nogi flinched and turned to me. "What is?"

"Mikan asking you to meet her." I informed him. "She told you to meet her in the Student Council Room and yet at that time she was in another room—our classroom. Do you have any idea why she was there?"

Nogi stared downwards, his eyes meeting the floor. He bit his lower lip and shook his head. "Not at all."

Natsume cupped his chin. "Maybe the murderer asked her to meet her, without knowing that the baka planned to meet Nogi first."

I nodded at his suspicion, but I was willing to listen more to the other's opinions. I glanced at Shouda and for the first time I saw an expression that I had never seen before. For the first time, I felt that she was actually thinking!

"If the murderer asked Mikan to come, Mikan must probably have known this person's identity, right?"

"True," I agreed. "Mikan might be an utter idiot, but she must have learned from last year's incident of not talking with strangers." Memories of last year's Christmas Ball flashed inside my mind. Umenomiya was almost kidnapped, if it weren't for Mikan who happened to pass by. Mikan was scared out of her wits at that time.

"Wait!" Tobita cried. "Didn't Mikan ask Nogi-san to meet her in the Student Council's meeting room? There's a possibility that Nogi-san lied and made the entire story up."

Hyuuga charged toward Tobita and tackled him, causing the four-eyed kid to fall on his butt. Hyuuga was filled with fury. "Ruka won't lie!"

Tobita, who was usually calm and timid, shot a glare at him. "The only reason why I'm in this stupid group is just to clear my name! I shouldn't be putting up with this! I hate you all!" And with that, he left the room in a hurry.

I raised my hands in assurance. "So before we start accusing one another, let's ask each other's alibis and any other information they know with regards to Mikan's death. Let's eliminate the suspects." I suggested.

Shouda shot her hand quickly. She looked troubled. "You might think I'm the most suspicious out of them all since I have a past dispute with the victim, but I swear to God, I'm really innocent." She stated. "Before Mikan's death, a received an anonymous letter, telling me to go to the gazebo at 1:30pm. All that time, I had been waiting for that person to come, but didn't."

"Do you think the suspect send that to frame you?" Nogi asked.

Shouda's eyes were swelling with tears. She fought back to keep the tears from falling. "I think so. I'm also scared."

"Why?"

"That letter… The one that sempai found… I think the letter's referring to me. I think I'm the next victim." She hugged her knees and kept on trembling.

I rested my hands on her shoulders. "Don't worry, Sumire." It was weird addressing her first name, after what Mikan had gone through her, but this was a situation where everyone needed to cooperate. We need everyone to find the culprit. "We'll find the killer before he or she gets his or her next victim."

A couple of minutes passed, Hyuuga, Nogi and I exchanged information on regards of our previous whereabouts before or during the time Mikan was killed.

Of course, I memorized everything in a jiffy, the problem was: Sumire Shouda's memory size. With all her summer slutty pics and her endless ranked boy list, she can't even memorize this. No worries though, I'm very flexible.

Suspect List:

Imai, Hotaru; Library; A floor level under the classroom.

Shouda, Sumire; Gazebo; Three floors under the classroom, just outside.

Hyuuga, Natsume; Botanical Garden; Behind the gym.

Nogi, Ruka; Student Council Room; Same floor level of the classroom, other building.

Hyuuga grabbed the paper and carefully studied everyone's locations. Among the four of us, my location was closest to the victim. "We need to gather the other suspect's alibis before we could make our hypothesis."

Shouda snatched the paper. "Don't you find it strange?"

I peeked at the paper, curious on what clue Shouda had found. "Did you find something?"

"Yesterday's classes were cut short, right?" Everyone nodded. "Due to Nonoko's chemistry project, everyone was ordered to evacuate immediately. If it weren't for her accident, Mikan's body would have been found earlier. So what if. . . that accident wasn't on purpose at all? What if it was intentional to divert on finding Mikan's body early?"

I grinned. "So the wheels of the brain have finally turned."

Nogi shifted on his spot, finally getting the hang of it. "What about the murder weapon?"

"Blood scattered on the floor, so a hard and heavy object must had been used. If the suspect brought the weapon on his or her home, there's a possibility some of the students would have notice it or the school's security camera. Nobody would have expected to carry a bag because of Nonoko's sudden science project failure. It would take a planned and known preparation for this to be executed." Hyuuga explained.

"Meaning?"

"There are three possibilities: one, the murder weapon is still in the school's vicinity; two, Nonoko might be the murderer; and three, there's an accomplice."

"I think it's for the best if we separate ourselves by pair. The first group should interrogate Nonoko while the second group should go to the security guards' building to gain access to the security camera videos." Shouda suggested.

* * *

><p>After spending my time with Shouda, I figured that she wasn't <em>that <em>bad. We have been classmates quite a few times, but I never got the chance to talk with her much. Both of us belonged in different cliques. Unlike what Mikan told me, she seemed completely different from what I imagined. She maybe the type who would pose for Playboy Mag and date a couple of guys at the same time, but she wouldn't stoop low as to make rumors about her ex-friend.

"Hey Shouda," I called. "I want to confirm something."

Without turning around to face me, she continued to walk forward. "What?"

"Did you spread that rumor?" I asked. "The one about Yuu and Mikan?"

For a short second, her straight-forward pace suddenly turned abruptly slow. My words must have probably triggered something in her mind. And I intend to know what.

This time around she halted and faced me. My eyes and hers were locked in a serious manner. "I-Imai, there are things in this world that are left to be buried in the past."

"You've know Mikan more than I do. Our friendship went well because you were out of the picture… so why? What happened between the two of you? If you really made that rumor, there must be a reason. Sumire Shouda, you're a rational being, and I believe you won't lie like that."

Shouda heaved a frustrated grunt. "Are you profiling me right now?" I smiled and then she continued talking. "Mikan was completely different before. Right before you transferred, she had a major crush on Tsubasa-sempai, but everyone in school knew he likes Misaki so Mikan have to conjure a plan. Being her best friend that time, she shared her thoughts with me."

I swallowed. This was my first time hearing a different side to this story. I have known this infamous rumor, but I only realized now that I have always been listening to it from one person: Mikan. It was my first time hearing Shouda's side.

"Of course, I disagreed with her ideas. She was… crazy. She wanted to do something mean to Misaki-sempai. She wanted to taint her name so that Tsubasa-sempai would leave. When Mikan realized that I continued disagreeing and discouraging her, she started to doubt our friendship. So those rumors you have heard about her virginity being taken by Tobita was an utter lie. She, herself, spread those rumors for two major reasons. First, to blame me so that the other students would lose their confidence on me that if ever I spread her ideas of wanting to hurt Misaki, no one would believe me; second, to lure Tsubasa."

"Lure him?"

"Believe it or not, it worked. Tsubasa was still a virgin at that time and he lacked experience. So in order to gain one, he needed someone who had experience sex before, so he went for Mikan. They dated a couple of times but most of them were held on a bed. In the end, it didn't work out and both of them moved on. Surprisingly, Mikan was okay with it. I thought she was going to be berserk."

"Are you the only one who knows about this information?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I don't think so. I think Tsubasa-sempai, Misaki-sempai and Tobita know about this."

* * *

><p>Outside the chemistry lab, sounds of liquid bubbling were drifting in the air. Soft clattering of utensils was heard. Nonoko was probably inside.<p>

We opened the door and entered the room, only to be greeted with thick smoke. At the other side of the room, I heard soft coughing. "Who's there?"

"Nonoko, is that you? This is, I, Hotaru and Shouda. We need to talk."

"Fine, but let me open the windows first or else we'll suffocate."

After opening the windows, the room was suddenly free from the heavy smoke. Nonoko was in her complete laboratory uniform and in her hands were a couple of test tubes.

"What are you experimenting on?" I asked.

"Just… something." She replied. "What made you guys come here?"

"We want to interrogate you."

"About? Wait, don't tell me. It's about Mikan, isn't it?"

Both of us nodded in agreement. Nonoko sighed and placed her test tubes down. "Stop acting like detectives. The police would solve her murder easily. Plus, I have nothing to do with her death. I was in a completely different building at that time and I don't have any connection with her death."

"You _think _you don't have a connection, but you really do. Or are you just trying to hide it away from us? We're not as stupid as the police."

"W-What are you babbling about?"

"Remember your little accident before 2pm? How can we be sure that it's not some incident to help you reduce any witnesses for Mikan's murder?"

"It's really an accident. I don't know what happened with the Glycol Fog." She explained.

"Glycol?"

"I'm trying to make some fog juice for the drama club's next presentation. Ask Misaki-sempai. She was the one who asked me for it."

* * *

><p>"Did you find any clues?" Nogi asked.<p>

"Just some Glycol Fog that Misaki-sempai asked for and nothing else." Sumire replied.

"Did you find anything?" I asked.

Nogi nodded. "Among the students who went home and right after 10 minutes from 2 o'clock, we spotted Tsubasa-sempai carrying a huge backpack."

"Okay, let me try to connect the pieces. There are three possibilities that could occur. One, Misaki-sempai handed out that task to Nonoko so that it could be a distraction for the students so that she can easily kill Mikan and hid the murder weapon inside the school. Two, Tsubasa somehow managed to trigger the accidental fog juice, killed Mikan and took the weapon home. Three, both of them are an accomplice. Misaki triggers the fog juice while Tsubasa kills Mikan and takes the weapon with him."

"A possibility," Hyuuga said. "But something feels wrong."

"What?"

"I can't point it out but there definitely is. It feels like there's a hole."

Sumire rose from her spot. "Maybe the note I received would give us a clue. I'll get it from my locker." She left the room and disappeared from our sight.

_If only I have known that she was going to die, I would have never let her leave._

**End of Chapter**

**A/N: **Sorry guys if you do find it messy and rushed. I was doing fine in the beginning of this chapter, but towards the end, I lost focus and I kept on writing half-heartedly. If there's a willing proofreader who'll fix this chapter, please let me know.


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